Agreeing with people

A busy day at work today left no time for blogging, and I've a busy night of hockey ahead of me tonight as well (go Canucks!) so let me be lazy and point to some posts by other bloggers today that I agree with.

*Firstly, I agree wholeheartedly with Ed Hollett. Stephane, Denis Coderre needs a new job and the Liberal party needs a new defence critic.

First, there was Coderre's embarrassing verbal jousting with Gen. Rick Hillier. Now, Denis is floating the idea of building a Canadian Forces base in New Brunswick solely for native soldiers. I mean, what the heck is that about? Did he run this past anyone before flapping his mouth? What would this achieve? Does he know anything about the military?

With all that is going on in the world we need a competent defence critic. It pains me to say it, but Coderre is succeeding in making Gordon O'Connor look good.

*Secondly, I agree with Glyn Evans. Conservatives, if you want to abolish the gun registry, then abolish it. And if you can't get the votes to do that, accept the will of the majority and keep it in place and effective, and heck, maybe even enhance its effectiveness.

But playing games by further extending the registration deadline is a slap in the face to the police that use it daily because you're making registry less effective, it's a slap in the face to taxpayers because you're spending more money on a program you're purposely making useless, and it's a slap in the face to democracy because you're circumventing the will of the majority of MPs that want the registry in place and effective.

Put-up or shut-up.

*Thirdly, I agree with Dan Arnold. Belinda Stronach will be missed by Blogging Tories the most. I've always defended Stronach because I've felt the attacks on her were (not unfair, that word is verboten, let's say...undeserved) but her most lasting contribution to public life has been providing oodles of blogging material. I wish her well, and hope she'll stay active pushing the issues she was passionate about, such as one member one vote and encouraging more women to enter political life.

And speaking of blogging material, I look forward to seeing how all those Conservative commenters that have always derided Stronach as useless will now spin her departure as a mortal loss and blow to the Liberal Party.

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Opps, Peter McKay did it again...

MacLean's capital diarist Mitchel Raphael has the latest on everyone's favourite formerly progressive Conservative, Peter McKay.

You may remember Peter as the guy who told former NDP leader Alexa McDonough to stick to her knitting, called ex-girlfriend Belinda Stronach a dog and then lied about it despite the audio evidence, and mocked NDP MP Dawn Black in another question period exchange last spring.

It seems Peter was at it again last week, turning his patented McKay charm on Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, advising her to just “calm herself” and “be a little more helpful.” Man, Peter does have a way with the ladies, doesn't he?

Mitchel helpfully supplies the Hansard:

Hon. Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s, Lib): "Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government seems to have it in for the UN. It has ignored the UN treaty on cluster bombs, the UN climate change treaty, the UN convention on the rights of disabled people and now this convention for disabled persons.

"When will the Prime Minister stop taking dictation from the White House? Canadians want an independent foreign policy.

"Would the minister tell us why he is embarrassing Canadians by refusing to sign this convention without hiding behind consultation. That happens before ratification."

Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, CPC): "Mr. Speaker, I do not know quite what to say to that. As I mentioned, we are of course working toward the ratification of the UN convention on the rights of the disabled. We have been very involved in the process from the very beginning.

"We are very active at the United Nations in all of the discussions. If the hon. member would just calm herself somewhat and be a little more helpful she would realize that this is something that will happen. We have not reached the date yet."

And from the Dawn Black exchange back in May:

Ms. Dawn Black: "Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to know the answers to these important questions, most of which were asked by the government itself while in opposition.

"Will the minister concede that in fact the government has no clue as to how long we are going to be there, no idea how much it is going to cost and no strategy for how we are going to get out? Canadians deserve these answers. When will the government come--

The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, CPC): "Mr. Speaker, I was having difficulty hearing the member as well. Maybe she could raise her voice in her next question."

"What we know, obviously, is that Canada, as I said, is part of a very important effort to try to eradicate."

What a catch. And he's still single ladies! Condi, you'd better tie him down while you still can...

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